Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Marsters: Captain John 'is like Spike'
James Marsters has admitted that his Torchwood character Captain John is similar to the role he played on Buffy The Vampire Slayer.In an exclusive interview with Torchwood Magazine, Marsters said: "In a lot of ways, this role is very much like Spike was in my first three episodes of Buffy. After those three episodes, Spike was always taken down a peg, because Joss [Whedon, Buffy showrunner] didn't want the audience thinking he was cool."Marsters, who played cockney vampire Spike between 1997 and 2003, continued: "They basically deconstructed him, but it had the opposite effect, and he became cooler than ever: the outsider's outsider, in a show of outsiders!"Captain John initially appeared in the opening episode of Torchwood's second season 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang', but is scheduled to return later in the series. He added: "This role is about unrepentant evil, and having as much fun with it as possible. I wish Spike had been like that a little longer, to be honest."
'Doctor Who' nominated for Epiphany Prize
An episode from the last series of Doctor Who has been nominated for an Epiphany Prize in America.Variety reports that the third season story 'Gridlock' is competing in the television category of the awards, which honour inspirational projects that promote traditional family and biblical values.The episode, which features The Doctor and Martha Jones visiting New Earth and uncovering an underground traffic jam infested with killer crabs, is up against Saving Sarah Cain, The Valley of Light, Friends and Heroes and Lost Holiday: The Jim & Suzanne Shemwell Story.The Epiphany Prizes awards ceremony will take place on February 12 at the Beverly Hilton.
Barrowman praises 'cheerful' Tennant
John Barrowman has revealed that he prefers working with current Doctor David Tennant to his predecessor Christopher Eccleston.The actor, who plays Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and sister show Torchwood, said the Time Lord's latest incarnation was a more cheerful presence during filming.He said: "I found the set to be a lighter one with David than it had been with Christopher in the lead role. I think David is a happier person, whereas I found Chris to be a bit angry."However, he admitted that it had not all been plain sailing with Tennant because he struggled to avoid picking up his co-star's Scottish lilt.Barrowman, who was born in Glasgow, said: "When David Tennant and I began filming together in early spring 2007, the hardest part for me was to resist speaking to him in a Scottish accent."
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Barrowman quotes online
The Evening Times has highlights of Anything Goes: The Autobiography by John Barrowman, CLICK HERE to read the article.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Sarah Jane doubles in size, ......the show not sarah jane you goof!!!
The Sarah Jane Adventures, the Doctor Who spin-off for kids, will be back soon, actress Lis Sladen told SFX. Not only that, but it'll have twice as many half-hour episodes as last year: 24, instead of just 12. Sladen also dropped some hints about the next season of Doctor Who. Spoilers ahead!
Sladen confirmed she'll be back for the end of Who season four, along with a mad crush of other companions:
You must know how many people are in it," she says, referring to the number of special guests from the Doctor's (recent) past who, it's been confirmed, will be making reappearances [in the next season of Who] alongside Sarah Jane. "So I don't think I'll be at the centre of things. I would think it would be apportioned off, a bit here a bit there, and the major people will be the Doctor and Donna. That is my take on it. We are coming back to reinforce an already established team. So I don't think I'll be leading the group, if you know what I mean! I think there will be a distinct kind of sectioning and apportioning off. Because you can only do so much with so many people."We can only hope season two of Sarah Jane features fewer farting aliens.
Sladen confirmed she'll be back for the end of Who season four, along with a mad crush of other companions:
You must know how many people are in it," she says, referring to the number of special guests from the Doctor's (recent) past who, it's been confirmed, will be making reappearances [in the next season of Who] alongside Sarah Jane. "So I don't think I'll be at the centre of things. I would think it would be apportioned off, a bit here a bit there, and the major people will be the Doctor and Donna. That is my take on it. We are coming back to reinforce an already established team. So I don't think I'll be leading the group, if you know what I mean! I think there will be a distinct kind of sectioning and apportioning off. Because you can only do so much with so many people."We can only hope season two of Sarah Jane features fewer farting aliens.
More on the season 4 moffat episode
The upcoming Doctor Who two-parter by Steven Moffat (Blink) will feature the Doctor investigating an abandoned library, accompanied by the mysterious River Song (Alex Kingston from ER). Also guest-starring in the story: Colin Salmon from the James Bond films. [BBC Release
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Patrick Troughton, 2nd Doctor Documentary online
Click the link and the rest are available to view all 6 parts: http://uk.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=niffler09&p=r
Friday, January 25, 2008
Patrick Troughton's Last Day
awesome footage!!! a bit grainy but it is nice to see him out of character and interacting with fans. The one bitch who keeps whining thru the interview needed to be bitch slapped!!!
http://www.dwin.org/blog/archives/000285.html
http://www.dwin.org/blog/archives/000285.html
Sarah Jane WILL Return in S4
After months of media speculation, Elisabeth Sladen has confirmed that she will be returning to Doctor Who as Sarah Jane Smith in Series Four.
She will be travelling to Cardiff to film the series finale with David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper and John Barrowman next month.
"I don't think I'll be at the centre of things," she told SFX. "I would think it would be apportioned off, a bit here a bit there, and the major people will be the Doctor and Donna. That is my take on it. We are coming back to reinforce an already established team. So I don’t think I’ll be leading the group, if you know what I mean! I think there will be a distinct kind of sectioning and apportioning off. Because you can only do so much with so many people."
She will be travelling to Cardiff to film the series finale with David Tennant, Catherine Tate, Freema Agyeman, Billie Piper and John Barrowman next month.
"I don't think I'll be at the centre of things," she told SFX. "I would think it would be apportioned off, a bit here a bit there, and the major people will be the Doctor and Donna. That is my take on it. We are coming back to reinforce an already established team. So I don’t think I’ll be leading the group, if you know what I mean! I think there will be a distinct kind of sectioning and apportioning off. Because you can only do so much with so many people."
Kylie returns???
k everyone stop emailing me this rumor its posted already!!!! lol
Kylie Minogue has just signed a deal to be a regular in Doctor Who, according to a close friend of the Australian singer.
Her friend told New Idea that the pop star plans to return to full-time acting, after 20 years at the top of the music charts.
And she hasn't wasted any time finding her first major role... returning to Doctor Who as Astrid Peth.
She's said to have put the final touches on the deal last week, after show producers rushed to secure her signature as a regular companion in the series.
Kylie's peformance in last year's Christmas special received rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and the producers apparanetly presented her with a deal that was just too good to refuse...
Kylie Minogue has just signed a deal to be a regular in Doctor Who, according to a close friend of the Australian singer.
Her friend told New Idea that the pop star plans to return to full-time acting, after 20 years at the top of the music charts.
And she hasn't wasted any time finding her first major role... returning to Doctor Who as Astrid Peth.
She's said to have put the final touches on the deal last week, after show producers rushed to secure her signature as a regular companion in the series.
Kylie's peformance in last year's Christmas special received rave reviews from critics and fans alike, and the producers apparanetly presented her with a deal that was just too good to refuse...
Torchwood spoilers
We learn a lot more about Jack, "particularly his family"
The alien world we see? It's none other than the Boeshane Peninsular (the spelling according to DWM)
We learn more about the history of Torchwood itself
For those worried about Owen's role being reduced, according to RTD the exact opposite seems to be the case - he has "a huge, multi-episode story coming up, which shows Burn at his very best."
There's "some beautifully detailed character work ticking away, in gentle arcs", not just about Owen, but Tosh and Ianto as well. RTD mentions the photo of Owen and Tosh that Tosh keeps on her fridge. He says that "There's plenty more to be discovered about that secret crush". And we all know about the upcoming Jack/Ianto arc.
Gwen's pregnancy? Definitely "alien".
When Martha comes into the team, "she's sort of observing [them] as much as anything else."
Tosh's appearance in the DW episode Aliens of London is referred to somewhere in Series 2.
Burn Gorman - "...in Series Two, you've big changes in Owen. Okay, he still has his foibles and dysfunctions, but it's nice to see him work as part of the team, as a professional. As a medic, as a person, he's much more mature, I think, and more at peace with his place in the team. A lot of episodes are about where Owen's place is in the team, especially with Freema joining - as another medic." Lots of questions are answered about Owen (including why he is like he is)
"You see a huge change in Tosh in Series Two... and that's all I'm saying!" (Naoko Mori)
The alien world we see? It's none other than the Boeshane Peninsular (the spelling according to DWM)
We learn more about the history of Torchwood itself
For those worried about Owen's role being reduced, according to RTD the exact opposite seems to be the case - he has "a huge, multi-episode story coming up, which shows Burn at his very best."
There's "some beautifully detailed character work ticking away, in gentle arcs", not just about Owen, but Tosh and Ianto as well. RTD mentions the photo of Owen and Tosh that Tosh keeps on her fridge. He says that "There's plenty more to be discovered about that secret crush". And we all know about the upcoming Jack/Ianto arc.
Gwen's pregnancy? Definitely "alien".
When Martha comes into the team, "she's sort of observing [them] as much as anything else."
Tosh's appearance in the DW episode Aliens of London is referred to somewhere in Series 2.
Burn Gorman - "...in Series Two, you've big changes in Owen. Okay, he still has his foibles and dysfunctions, but it's nice to see him work as part of the team, as a professional. As a medic, as a person, he's much more mature, I think, and more at peace with his place in the team. A lot of episodes are about where Owen's place is in the team, especially with Freema joining - as another medic." Lots of questions are answered about Owen (including why he is like he is)
"You see a huge change in Tosh in Series Two... and that's all I'm saying!" (Naoko Mori)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Gorman Glad U.S. Gets Torchwood
Burn Gorman, who plays Dr. Owen Harper on the Doctor Who spinoff series Torchwood, told SCI FI Wire that he's pleased to see how the show has managed to emerge from the shadow of its predecessor, especially among American audiences. "Personally, I find that really refreshing, that, basically, it's accepted as a stand-alone series," Gorman said in a phone interview. "It's certainly very different in tone. It still uses references to Doctor Who, but I think it's really good that it's being appreciated for what it is. Although I am a Doctor Who fan myself, so I always enjoy when there are references. When Jack goes off and disappears, it's kind of nice to have a mothership." Torchwood stars John Barrowman as Capt. Jack Harkness, the leader of a secret organization charged with protecting Earth from alien threats. The character of Capt. Jack was originally introduced in the first season of the revitalized Doctor Who series in an episode titled "The Empty Child." He recently returned to that series in a three-episode arc culminating in the third-season finale. As the second season of Torchwood begins, Jack is reunited with his team, who were left in the dark following his abrupt departure to be with the Doctor. "Back to Cardiff, where he belongs," Gorman said. "He's a really fun guy to work with, John. He brings a hundred percent commitment. And I think one of the reasons we wanted to do it again is because we all genuinely get on and are able to spark off each other. The scripts are always very different as well. They're never pedestrian. Sometimes they're kind of really out there, but that's kind of what you want as an actor, isn't it? It's a sort of challenge, really." When it premiered in the United States last September on BBC America, Torchwood became the highest-rated series in the history of that network. Gorman said that the cast and crew were heartened to see that the show has such universal appeal. "We're really, really pleased about that," Gorman said. "In England, it started off as a kind of cult show, really. And then I think it's just like any show. Word of mouth. We just finished filming season two, and we're hoping it's kind of even better than the first. It's all you can hope for, really." The second season premiere of Torchwood, featuring guest star James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), airs Jan. 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT
Kingston and Salmon for Series 4
The BBC Press Office has announced that Alex Kingston and Colin Salmon will appear as guest stars in writer Steven Moffat's two-part story for the fourth series of Doctor Who, which is currently filming.Kingston, who will play a character named in the press release as River Song, is best known for her regular role in the American television drama series ER. In the UK, she starred in the one-off dramas Moll Flanders and Boudecia for the ITV network. Salmon has been seen in a variety of roles in British film and television, including as the supporting character Charles Robinson in the James Bond films Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day. His character in Doctor Who has not yet been named.
MySpaceTV and BBC Worldwide link up
MySpace on Wednesday said it signed an agreement with BBC Worldwide to bring short video clips from programs such as "Doctor Who" and "Top Gear" to its online community.
The agreement will allow MySpaceTV users to subscribe to a BBC Worldwide channel, then view and share clips from current and archived content. Clips will be available to MySpaceTV users globally.
Other BBC programs that will be featured include "Robin Hood", "Torchwood", "The Catherine Tate Show", "Red Dwarf" and "The Mighty Boosh".
Jeff Berman, the newly appointed executive vice president of marketing and content of MySpace, said the deal involved advertising revenue sharing, but declined to disclose specific details.
MySpace is owned by media giant News Corp, which also operates the Fox TV network, and has been pushing to add more video content.
The MySpaceTV feature launched in June 2007. Among other content, MySpaceTV features "Roommates", "LonelyGirl15", and "Prom Queen".
The agreement will allow MySpaceTV users to subscribe to a BBC Worldwide channel, then view and share clips from current and archived content. Clips will be available to MySpaceTV users globally.
Other BBC programs that will be featured include "Robin Hood", "Torchwood", "The Catherine Tate Show", "Red Dwarf" and "The Mighty Boosh".
Jeff Berman, the newly appointed executive vice president of marketing and content of MySpace, said the deal involved advertising revenue sharing, but declined to disclose specific details.
MySpace is owned by media giant News Corp, which also operates the Fox TV network, and has been pushing to add more video content.
The MySpaceTV feature launched in June 2007. Among other content, MySpaceTV features "Roommates", "LonelyGirl15", and "Prom Queen".
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Event: Signing at Forbidden Planet
Meet Doctor Who stars next weekend at London's Forbidden Planet.
Forbidden Planet is pleased to announce a signing by Peter Davison, Louise Jameson and Nicholas Briggs. They will be signing the Big Finish CD audio drama of The Bride Of Peladon at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 2nd February 12-1pm
Peter Davison was the Fifth Doctor (1981– 84). He was fresh faced and very young. He was 29 at the time and still remains the youngest ever Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. Peter last put the cricket jumper and celery on for 2007’s Children In Need special along with the Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Currently in the West End production of Spamalot he also acts as the Doctor in various audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.
Louise Jameson played Leela, Warrior of Sevateem and Tom Baker’s companion. Although she wasn’t in the show for very long she is fondly remembered as the leather-clad fighter. Louise also acts in the Big Finish Gallifrey and Doctor Who audio dramas.
Nicholas Briggs is a writer, actor and director who provides the voices of the Daleks and Cybermen in the new series of Doctor Who. He’ll be bringing his Dalek voice machine along to the signing. Now everyone can have a go at sounding like a Dalek! Nicholas is also the Executive Producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who range.
The Bride Of Peladon - A mysterious voice, a missing girl and a murdered queen. The Royal House of Peladon is once more plunged into intrigue, terror and death. The Doctor, Peri and Erimem must find their way through a treacherous labyrinth of lies if they’re to distinguish friend from foe before it’s too late.
Peter, Louise and Nicholas will be signing at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore. The largest store of its kind in the world, it continues the Forbidden Planet tradition of hosting appearances by the greatest names in science fiction and fantasy. Previous guests have Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Iain Banks, Douglas Adams, Anne McCaffrey, Clive Barker, Stephen King, William Gibson and H. R. Giger.
Direct Link to the Forbidden Planet website.
Forbidden Planet is pleased to announce a signing by Peter Davison, Louise Jameson and Nicholas Briggs. They will be signing the Big Finish CD audio drama of The Bride Of Peladon at the Forbidden Planet Megastore, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8JR, on Saturday 2nd February 12-1pm
Peter Davison was the Fifth Doctor (1981– 84). He was fresh faced and very young. He was 29 at the time and still remains the youngest ever Doctor to travel in the TARDIS. Peter last put the cricket jumper and celery on for 2007’s Children In Need special along with the Tenth Doctor David Tennant. Currently in the West End production of Spamalot he also acts as the Doctor in various audio dramas for Big Finish Productions.
Louise Jameson played Leela, Warrior of Sevateem and Tom Baker’s companion. Although she wasn’t in the show for very long she is fondly remembered as the leather-clad fighter. Louise also acts in the Big Finish Gallifrey and Doctor Who audio dramas.
Nicholas Briggs is a writer, actor and director who provides the voices of the Daleks and Cybermen in the new series of Doctor Who. He’ll be bringing his Dalek voice machine along to the signing. Now everyone can have a go at sounding like a Dalek! Nicholas is also the Executive Producer of the Big Finish Doctor Who range.
The Bride Of Peladon - A mysterious voice, a missing girl and a murdered queen. The Royal House of Peladon is once more plunged into intrigue, terror and death. The Doctor, Peri and Erimem must find their way through a treacherous labyrinth of lies if they’re to distinguish friend from foe before it’s too late.
Peter, Louise and Nicholas will be signing at the Forbidden Planet London Megastore. The largest store of its kind in the world, it continues the Forbidden Planet tradition of hosting appearances by the greatest names in science fiction and fantasy. Previous guests have Christopher Lee, Andy Serkis, Iain Banks, Douglas Adams, Anne McCaffrey, Clive Barker, Stephen King, William Gibson and H. R. Giger.
Direct Link to the Forbidden Planet website.
Sylvester McCoy comes to PBS, BBC4 in "King Lear"
The Royal Shakespeare Company's recent production of King Lear, starring Sir Ian McKellan in the title role and featuring Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy as the Fool, was filmed for HDTV, reports www.theatermania.com. The production began in its run at The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2007 before embarking on an international tour. It recently concluded its run in London's West End.The show will be broadcast by American PBS stations in autumn and BBC4 in December, in addition to being carried by a number of other international stations, such as NHK Japan. Plans are also in place to release the production on DVD internationally.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Series Four spoiler in Daily Star?
John Barrowman has let slip that he will make a surprise return this year to help save Doctor Who from death.
His character, Captain Jack Harkness, is to be brought back for an amazing end-of-series climax.
The Doctor (David Tennant, 36) will be seriously hurt in an explosion and he will have to rely on Jack and Sarah Jane Smith, (Elizabeth Sladen, 58) to come to his rescue.
In a sensational master stroke, show writer Russell T Davies, 44, has decided to reunite some of the doc’s old assistants for the climax of series four.
And they will include Torchwood’s Captain Jack, played by John, 40.
The plot was supposed to have been a big secret, but your Daily Star discovered details last year.
Now John has admitted: “Let’s just say there is always the possibility that when the Doctor needs help to fight off someone or something, he calls on Jack.
“He is the muscle and guns man. I can’t say too much – wait and see.”
Elizabeth – who was the Tardis companion for Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, 73, in the 70s and made a guest appearance with David Tennant two years ago – is also back.
She let slip: “I’ve just heard I’m coming back. I’m so excited.”
They will also be helped by Rose Tyler, played by sexy Billie Piper, 25.
His character, Captain Jack Harkness, is to be brought back for an amazing end-of-series climax.
The Doctor (David Tennant, 36) will be seriously hurt in an explosion and he will have to rely on Jack and Sarah Jane Smith, (Elizabeth Sladen, 58) to come to his rescue.
In a sensational master stroke, show writer Russell T Davies, 44, has decided to reunite some of the doc’s old assistants for the climax of series four.
And they will include Torchwood’s Captain Jack, played by John, 40.
The plot was supposed to have been a big secret, but your Daily Star discovered details last year.
Now John has admitted: “Let’s just say there is always the possibility that when the Doctor needs help to fight off someone or something, he calls on Jack.
“He is the muscle and guns man. I can’t say too much – wait and see.”
Elizabeth – who was the Tardis companion for Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker, 73, in the 70s and made a guest appearance with David Tennant two years ago – is also back.
She let slip: “I’ve just heard I’m coming back. I’m so excited.”
They will also be helped by Rose Tyler, played by sexy Billie Piper, 25.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
BBC radio four's parody phone in show
BBC radio four's parody phone in show, "down the line" (brought to you by charlie higson and paul whitehouse from "the fast show") had a fanatastic episode last night with heavy mentions of "doctor who". the conceit was that a scientist was struggling to discuss his book on "string theory" with the phone in audience and in the end everything descends into lots of people phoning in to chat about "whether the new doctor who is just too gay". obviously someone is a very heavy fan of the series, because the plot description of "logopolis" is absolutely *spot on*. i particularly liked the final joke of the episode. highly recommendedyou can listen again for a week here
Big Finish Introduces Downloadable Doctor Who
Big Finish Productions has announced the launch of a new download service launching on February 1st. With this service, listeners will be able to purchase and instantly download the audio of their choice as an mp3 file to their computer.This includes the Doctor Who, Bernice Summerfield, Sapphire and Steel, and the forthcoming Stargate series. ‘Listening habits have changed dramatically over the last ten years,’ says Company Director, Jason Haigh-Ellery. ‘More and more people are choosing to buy their music and audio online and listen to it either on their computer or on mp3 players like the iPod. We are delighted to be able to make Big Finish’s productions available in this new way’.Jason also addressed the impact that this change will have on foreign fans. ‘We have always done our best to keep the prices as low as possible for foreign customers,’ continues Haigh-Ellery. ‘Unfortunately though, the poor exchange rate with America, Australia and other countries has made this difficult. Now though, by offering downloadable versions of our plays, we can dramatically reduce the price as there is no extra expenditure on postage, packing and materials. We’re sure that this will be good news for our foreign customers’.With the launch of the new website at BigFinish.com on February 1st, fans will be able to sample individual episodes for a small cost. The remainder of the play will be available for simply paying the remainder of the balance. Although not available at launch, a subscription service will be introduced where customers can purchase several plays in advance of their release at a discounted rate. In addition to the plays themselves, music suites, behind-the-scenes features and copies of the scripts will also be made available for download.Fans who prefer to continue buying their Big Finish plays on CD need not worry that online downloads will herald the end of the CD versions. All new Big Finish plays will continue to be released on CD simultaneously with the download version. The download versions will be cheaper than the CDs in all territories but CD purchasers will also be entitled to acquire the download version at no extra charge.‘The new download service is a major step forward for Big Finish,’ says Jason Haigh-Ellery.
Timelash North American Release Details
BBC Video has confirmed the April 1st North American release date for the classic adventure Timelash, starring Colin Baker as the Doctor, Nicola Bryant as Peri, and featuring a guest appearance of Blake's 7's Paul Darrow.
The TARDIS gets caught in the Timelash, a powerful time corridor that brings the Doctor and Peri to the troubled planet of Karfel. The planet is on the brink of war and ruled by an insane and much feared dictator, who punishes Karfelons by throwing them into the Timelash. But why is their leader never seen in person? And what links Karfel with 19th-century Scotland and a young writer named Herbert? The Doctor arrives just in time to find out...
Special Features:
Audio Commentary by actors Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Paul Darrow
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A new Making Of documentary (25 mins)
Easter egg (1 min)
Photo gallery (8 mins)
DVD-ROM feature: Radio Times listings
Production Notes Subtitle Option
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
Closed Captioned for the Hearing Impaired
The TARDIS gets caught in the Timelash, a powerful time corridor that brings the Doctor and Peri to the troubled planet of Karfel. The planet is on the brink of war and ruled by an insane and much feared dictator, who punishes Karfelons by throwing them into the Timelash. But why is their leader never seen in person? And what links Karfel with 19th-century Scotland and a young writer named Herbert? The Doctor arrives just in time to find out...
Special Features:
Audio Commentary by actors Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant and Paul Darrow
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A new Making Of documentary (25 mins)
Easter egg (1 min)
Photo gallery (8 mins)
DVD-ROM feature: Radio Times listings
Production Notes Subtitle Option
Digitally remastered picture and sound quality
Closed Captioned for the Hearing Impaired
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Martha joins unit: confirmed
And Freema Agyeman joins Torchwood as Martha Jones……
In episode five or six, she comes in as a member of UNIT (United nations intelligence Taskforce from Doctor Who). Obviously Jack has a past…sorry a future with her, where he and the Doctor both put all their trust in her, and became prisoners in order for her to go out and save the planet. So she comes in a and plays a very big role.
Is she the same Martha we saw in Doctor Who?
Oh, she’s grown up. After the whole incident with the Master, she’s much more mature. Much more confident.
As Jack and Martha have both been the Doctor’s companions, is there a rivalry?
No, not at all. We don’t look at it that way - we’re there to assist each other. The thing is, Jack always goes back to Doctor Who when the Doctor can’t handle it (laughs). Tell David Tennant that, because it’ll really wind him up!
In episode five or six, she comes in as a member of UNIT (United nations intelligence Taskforce from Doctor Who). Obviously Jack has a past…sorry a future with her, where he and the Doctor both put all their trust in her, and became prisoners in order for her to go out and save the planet. So she comes in a and plays a very big role.
Is she the same Martha we saw in Doctor Who?
Oh, she’s grown up. After the whole incident with the Master, she’s much more mature. Much more confident.
As Jack and Martha have both been the Doctor’s companions, is there a rivalry?
No, not at all. We don’t look at it that way - we’re there to assist each other. The thing is, Jack always goes back to Doctor Who when the Doctor can’t handle it (laughs). Tell David Tennant that, because it’ll really wind him up!
Torchwood Series 2 HDNet Air Date
Series Two of Torchwood is poised to start showing on North American high-definition cable channel HDNet from Monday, February 11.According to the channel's website, it will air at 7pm Eastern Time, although the site also carries the disclaimer that schedules are subject to change.HDNet is available on several cable systems as well as satellite and began showing the first series last September.
S4: More Episode titles revealed
The latest issue of Doctor Who Magazine (#391) confirms some more Series 4 Episode titles.
4.7: The Unicorn and the Wasp
4.?: Midnight
'Midnight' was the mysterious word hidden in Russell T. Davies' Production notes last month.
4.7: The Unicorn and the Wasp
4.?: Midnight
'Midnight' was the mysterious word hidden in Russell T. Davies' Production notes last month.
Torchwood: 2.3 - synopsis
Torchwood: 2.3: To the Last Man
Toshiko falls for a handsome soldier trapped out of his time, who unwittingly holds the key to saving the world, in this week's instalment of the award-winning drama created by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies.
With an old hospital haunted by ghosts from 1918, a crisis foreseen by Torchwood 90 years ago is about to reach its climax. Time zones are colliding, but, with life-and-death decisions to be made, will Torchwood be able to stop an explosive end for the city of Cardiff?
Toshiko falls for a handsome soldier trapped out of his time, who unwittingly holds the key to saving the world, in this week's instalment of the award-winning drama created by Doctor Who writer Russell T Davies.
With an old hospital haunted by ghosts from 1918, a crisis foreseen by Torchwood 90 years ago is about to reach its climax. Time zones are colliding, but, with life-and-death decisions to be made, will Torchwood be able to stop an explosive end for the city of Cardiff?
Torchwood Audios - February
Hidden
by Steven Savile
This is an exciting original short story written exclusively for audio, featuring the "Torchwood" characters and read by Naoko Mori who plays Toshiko in the television series.
An age old secret is buried away in the heart of the Welsh Countryside. After a series of violent and seemingly unrelated deaths, the solution to a riddle seems to points the finger of blame at Captain Jack Harkness.
Can the Torchwood team prove uncover the truth that lies hidden in time to save Jack?
Hidden is released on 4th February 2008, priced £12.99.
Everyone Says Hello
by Dan Abnett
This is an exciting original short story written exclusively for audio, featuring the "Torchwood" characters and read by Burn Gorman, who plays Owen in the television series.
Across Cardiff, ordinary people are behaving in odd ways: saying hello to one another, and going out of their way to greet people.Torchwood discovers that an alien communications field is gathering strength in the city.
The team must find the device responsible and shut it off - before civil unrest engulfs the city.
Everyone says Hello is released on 4th February 2008, priced £12.99.
by Steven Savile
This is an exciting original short story written exclusively for audio, featuring the "Torchwood" characters and read by Naoko Mori who plays Toshiko in the television series.
An age old secret is buried away in the heart of the Welsh Countryside. After a series of violent and seemingly unrelated deaths, the solution to a riddle seems to points the finger of blame at Captain Jack Harkness.
Can the Torchwood team prove uncover the truth that lies hidden in time to save Jack?
Hidden is released on 4th February 2008, priced £12.99.
Everyone Says Hello
by Dan Abnett
This is an exciting original short story written exclusively for audio, featuring the "Torchwood" characters and read by Burn Gorman, who plays Owen in the television series.
Across Cardiff, ordinary people are behaving in odd ways: saying hello to one another, and going out of their way to greet people.Torchwood discovers that an alien communications field is gathering strength in the city.
The team must find the device responsible and shut it off - before civil unrest engulfs the city.
Everyone says Hello is released on 4th February 2008, priced £12.99.
S4: David Troughton cast
Patrick Troughton's son will guest star in Series Four of Doctor Who.
Classic Series actor and son of The 2nd Doctor (Patrick Troughton); David Troughton has been confirmed as having a guest role in Series Four of Doctor Who, according to Issue #391 of Doctor Who Magazine.
David's character will appear later in Series Four, possibly the last episode.
Classic Series actor and son of The 2nd Doctor (Patrick Troughton); David Troughton has been confirmed as having a guest role in Series Four of Doctor Who, according to Issue #391 of Doctor Who Magazine.
David's character will appear later in Series Four, possibly the last episode.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
"I go to work every day and save the world." A fantastic interview with J barrowman
I go to work every day and save the world.
You'd be forgiven for thinking John Barrowman has had a charmed life. But the boy growing up in America's Midwest with a Scottish accent and the knowledge that he was gay has had his fair share of struggles.
MINUTES into the interview with actor and musical star John Barrowman, just as a few question marks about him are forming in my mind, something very charming happens. A man hovers at Barrowman's back. Sorry to interrupt. Could his wee boy say hello? Certainly. The little boy, an angelic blond, is about three. He stares at Barrowman with the kind of look children often reserve for shop Santas: a mixture of rapt wonder and awe, tinged with a soupçon of fear and disbelief. Speech has deserted him. This is Captain Jack from Doctor Who and Torchwood!
"I fight Daleks, Cybermen and travel round the planets with the Doctor," Barrowman tells his wide-eyed admirer with absolute conviction. What, says the father, did the little boy say he would do if he met Captain Jack? His son hesitates but Barrowman simply crouches down, opens out his arms to him and in a rush, the little boy wraps himself round him. "Oh, thank you," says Barrowman, "that's much better than fighting aliens." Captain Jack is such a hero that the boy even has a doll of him. "Ah," says Barrowman, "but you've seen the real guy now. That's me!"
It's not often in our society that gay men are allowed to be fantasy heroes to small boys. Captain Jack is a bisexual time traveller fighting to save the planet, and in real life Barrowman is gay too. He's in a 14-year relationship with Scott Gill, an architect. It's always a bit poignant watching gay men with kids, particularly when, like Barrowman, they have made no secret of the fact they would like to be a father. What appeals to him about fatherhood? "I don't know. I just think I would be a good dad. Scott and I have an incredible amount to offer a child. Gay men have two individual incomes and don't spend their money on anything but themselves, so we have money we could offer for a good education to help a child who didn't have anything, who grew up in an orphanage."
Would he be more interested, then, in helping an orphan than having a blood child? "I think it probably would interest me more but the side of me that is selfish would also like to have a blood child. If we were doing that we'd have one and adopt one. We also said we'd mix the sperm so we didn't know who was the father." He and Scott might prefer that – but would a child? Legislation now emphasises children's rights to know their origins. "Well, if they needed to, but I really think a child growing up in a loving home wouldn't care."
The home might be loving. The rest of the world isn't always. But Barrowman says the prospect of a child with two fathers being ostracised or bullied isn't a major concern. "You pack up and you move to a place where they don't," he says stoutly. Does such a place actually exist? But you'll always be picked on for something as a child, he argues. And he would give short shrift to the idea that, since a child is not the natural consequence of a same-sex relationship, homosexuals have no particular right to be parents. "These children are wanted. Think how much planning it actually takes. More planning than some people who just go out and get knocked up and have a baby."
So how would he and Scott plan it? Well, he did have a female friend who offered to be a surrogate some years ago. "I also have another friend now and she has said if I wanted to, she would."
Barrowman has an autobiography out in the next few weeks, written with his sister, a university professor in America. "You'll find out who this famous person is who would have the baby," he grins. (We'll also find out how a famous designer "tried it on in every way, shape and form".) His sister went everywhere with him for three months to write the book. "It was only sleep time and bathroom times she wasn't there – and even then she was sometimes shouting questions through the bathroom door."
He didn't find it hard being frank with his sister about his life and his sexuality? Not at all. And it gave her a new understanding of his life. "My sister said to me, 'I've now got a gay man living in my head.' I said, 'You should think yourself lucky, Carol. You'll probably dress more fabulously and have a bit more style!'"
AND THE QUESTION mark that had been forming? Perhaps it was to do with authenticity. Barrowman's voice is loud and declamatory and at first you feel as though you're in an audience (somewhere up in the gods). And there is something disconcerting about someone who switches from an American accent to a Scottish one, depending on who he is talking to, the way Barrowman does. At first, I just don't buy it. Rousseau wrote that accent "is the soul of talk; it gives it feeling and veracity" and most of us would instinctively agree. How many souls can a man have with any veracity?
But after a while, the question mark begins to fade. Barrowman is assertive and energetic and driven, and interviewing him feels a bit like violently shaking up a can of cola then opening it and letting the contents froth all over the place. But there's a kind of honesty and decency that emerges in the hubbub of his conversation. You start off wondering if he's a bit affected and end up deciding how genuine he is. "They are both real," he says when asked about his two accents. But which does he have to think about? "I don't have to think about either of them. That's the really strange thing and people don't understand it."
In Barrowman's case, I think the explanation is perhaps straightforward. It's not that he's trying to assume an identity; he's reluctant to lose one. "Maybe part of the reason I switch it on and off, and have the ability to do that, is because as a young person growing up I didn't want to lose my Scottish accent," he agrees. The two accents represent two parts of him. At the age of eight, his father's job prompted a move from Mount Vernon in Glasgow to the American Midwest. His elder brother had been accepted for the junior Rangers football team. His elder sister was set for university. So for them, the move was much more of a wrench. Barrowman was just excited.
Once there, he found himself teased about being Scottish so his shift to an American accent was pragmatic. Emotionally, he never forgot where he came from: the days of going to the record shop in Shettleston where his mum worked and singing on the counter after school; the hours spent in the high flats where his gran lived; vivid memories of the prefabricated housing of post-war Britain. In America, his life was "pretty much upper-middle class. A very comfortable atmosphere with big houses and nice cars, but we were always reminded that you get nothing for free. I was dragged out of bed every weekend to do the gardening. Hated it. When I went to university, my dad got a gardener. I said, 'Why are you getting a gardener?' He said, 'Because I can afford it.' And I said, 'Well. why didn't you get one when I was there?' And he said, 'Because we had you.'"
His mother was a fantastic singer. "She would have loved to do what I do but she grew up in the war and it was more important to have an Anderson shelter than go to a drama or music school." Barrowman inherited her musical talent. His late Aunt Dorothy used to phone him up and get him to sing down the phone to the girls in her office.
He has the super confidence of America, and the down-to-earth quality of Scotland. But ask him which facets of his personality he thinks have been shaped by each country and he says he's not sure, both societies foster an ambitious nature. His father, his uncle, his brother – all rose to senior positions in their jobs and he is aware of coming from a very close, very dynamic family. "Scottish people to me… I don't want to use the word 'aggressive' but they're go-getters. They're determined and they don't like to be told no. It's the same with Americans. Every time I come back to Scotland, there's always progressive change and that can only be from a society or culture that produces that kind of drive and ambition."
Barrowman studied at a university of performing arts but came to Britain on a visit in the late 1980s, auditioned for a role, and stayed. He quickly established himself as a leading West End man, with roles in Phantom, Chicago, Sunset Boulevard and Miss Saigon. He now has two homes in America, one in London, and one in Cardiff where Torchwood is filmed. But as an adult, he finds it easier to live in Britain and says he wouldn't go back to live full-time in the States. In Britain, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking America is one vast New York, but great swathes of it are dominated by social conservatism and fundamentalist Christianity. It can be hard to be gay there. "The British people are far more accepting of someone like me, whereas in America I feel they're going backwards with the human race. I find it terribly repressed and a lot of gay men pretend to be straight. It's only in specific cities that you get the openness."
He knew he was gay from an early age. There was no angst. "I remember it vividly. I woke up one morning when I was nine years old. I looked at a magazine and there was a man and a woman in it, and I looked at the man and got an erection. That's all I can remember. I was being taught by society around me that wasn't right." So didn't it frighten him to be consciously different at such a young age? "No. I don't know if it was because I had such a great family. I just thought, that's a bit different. I won't tell anybody. I had a great growing up with male and female friends. I dated girls because that's what everyone else did when I actually wanted to go to dances with my best mates. But I had been made fun of because of my accent as a child so I wasn't going to let that happen to me. I figured the best way to protect myself was just not to talk about it."
Did he deny it to himself? "No, I never denied it. Absolutely never denied it. I just had to do what I had to do until I went to university or college. I lived in a small town in the Midwest, but if you go to a bigger city people think differently and that's what I thought would happen." Perhaps not surprisingly, politically he rejects the right wing. "George Bush is a f***ing arsehole," he says, giving a little hint that the Glasgow boy is alive and well inside his American wrapping.
Barrowman and his parents were churchgoers – he retains a faith in God – but he refuses to accept fundamentalist views. "I just ignored what was being taught in the pulpit when I was going to church, that gay was bad. I just thought, 'I'm not going to listen to it, because I know I'm not a bad person.' I just always kept that in my head. I'm pretty generous. I'm pretty kind to people. I look after my family, my friends, and I will fight tooth and nail anyone who says I'm evil or bad. I believe I was made this way. If God can make so many different animals and so many different types of human being, with different skin colour and hair colour and eyes, why can't he make gay people?"
He gets letters from young men and women struggling with their sexuality and enjoys being a positive role model. But as far as Captain Jack is concerned, he doesn't really care about the character's bisexuality. "It's usually the press that make the issue about sexuality. The audience don't care," he says. Though he did get a letter from a mother in conservative North Carolina recently who said how lovely it was to watch an episode with her 14-year-old gay son and see a relationship between two men depicted that wasn't seedy or dirty.
Barrowman's own parents have always supported him. They have been married for more that 50 years and, actually, Barrowman has shown the same instinct for a steady relationship. He and Scott have a civil partnership. Coming out was not traumatic for him, but he understands it is for some people. "The thing that scares gay people, that makes them cry, is the possibility their family will shun them, that the people they love will say, 'We don't want anything to do with you any more.' And that's because society has given them a preconceived image of gay men which is that we're all effeminate or that we wear leather gear with your arse hanging out and you have sex in bad, dirty places. You don't do it like everybody else."
Barrowman is very direct in conversation. He fixes me with a look. "But I don't care who you are or what walk of life you're in. You probably do something that is slightly kinky in your bedroom. You just don't tell anybody." The eyebrows arch. "Am I right?" Mine arch back.
As he points out, homosexuality is often seen as promiscuous and seedy. So I wonder if Barrowman thinks the nature of homosexual love is any different to heterosexual love. "I go to bed with Scott every night and I probably have sex a little differently from a man and a woman, but I probably do the same kind of things a woman does to her husband, to be blunt. It's all very relevant and the same. Scott and I have had bumps in our relationship but I love him enough to look past those bumps to the greater picture. I think people give up too quickly on relationships. You know, it's not just about affairs. I'm talking about 'they get on my nerves because they leave the room messy all the time'. Well, pick it up. Sit them down and talk to them. Don't start getting aggressive. Scott and I do argue. It's healthy. But at the end of the night, one of us will always resolve it."
So what does love mean to him? "Companionship. Security – as in another person, I don't mean financial. Someone who will listen to you, respect you, do anything for you." But that doesn't come automatically. "You have to make an effort. My mum used to joke, 'You've got to do things to keep the spark alive.' And I said, 'Mother, I'm so glad to hear that! And I hope you and Dad keep the spark alive for a long, long time.'" He grins. "I've seen their wardrobe. I know what she's talking about. Let's just say dressing up occurs every so often. And you know what? That's what makes it work. That's why they've been together 53 years. That's what a relationship is about and it doesn't matter if you're two men, two women, or a man and a woman. It's actually very similar."
Never mind the Daleks, it's Barrowman who is taking over the universe. His success first came on the West End stage but television has made him a household name. It's not only Torchwood and Doctor Who. He pops up everywhere: on chat shows, discussion and political programmes, religious programmes, quiz programmes… In March he will even present a new children's series, The Kids Are All Right. He's been a judge on the BBC's reality shows Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and competed on ITV's Dancing on Ice. Has he pencilled his nervous breakdown into the schedule? No, he'll have a breakdown if he doesn't work.
Is such a wide array of projects a sign of insecurity? Does he fear if he turns things down he won't work? No, because he's booked up to 2009. But he does have insecurity. In the business they call you a triple threat if you can sing, dance and act. He thinks he's a great singer. (There's no false modesty with Barrowman.) And he thinks he can act. But dancing is his weak spot, which is partly why he made himself do Dancing on Ice. (Plus it was learning a skill, not just sitting in a celebrity house or eating witchetty grubs in the Australian jungle.)
In many ways Dancing on Ice was the show that revealed most about him. He was clearly ferociously competitive. Yes, he agrees, being voted off was awful. It's a long story but at the end of the day his technique was actually better than… He breaks off and grins. "Listen to me," he laughs. "People say to me, 'John, let it go…' Nah!"
He admits he's very driven. "I am not going to lie to you – I am very ambitious," he agrees. "But I think I am ambitious in a way that would never intentionally hurt or damage anybody. I know people who are ambitious and ruthless, and I am not ruthless. If I know something is going to hurt someone, I will do my damnedest to find a way of doing it that won't hurt them – or I just won't do it."
Barrowman is very professional and good at lots of things, though that perhaps gives him more versatilityas a performer than depth and subtlety. The strange thing is that everything about him seems very easy and charmed, as if he's never had to struggle in his life. (Even success was instant.) But if you've been gay – particularly in small-town America – chances are you have struggled, so it must be his attitude rather than his lot in life.
"I am like everybody else. I sometimes wake up in the morning and don't want to get out of bed. I sometimes get a bit depressed. I get upset. I have situations with family. But I am very happy. I can deal with all those things. That's life." A hero's life. "I get up every day and go to work and save the world. I kill aliens and protect the planet. Could you ask for anything more?"
The new series of Torchwood begins on January 16 on BBC2 at 9pm; Anything Goes: the Autobiography (£18.99 HB, £10.99 PB, Michael O'Mara Books) is published on January 24
You'd be forgiven for thinking John Barrowman has had a charmed life. But the boy growing up in America's Midwest with a Scottish accent and the knowledge that he was gay has had his fair share of struggles.
MINUTES into the interview with actor and musical star John Barrowman, just as a few question marks about him are forming in my mind, something very charming happens. A man hovers at Barrowman's back. Sorry to interrupt. Could his wee boy say hello? Certainly. The little boy, an angelic blond, is about three. He stares at Barrowman with the kind of look children often reserve for shop Santas: a mixture of rapt wonder and awe, tinged with a soupçon of fear and disbelief. Speech has deserted him. This is Captain Jack from Doctor Who and Torchwood!
"I fight Daleks, Cybermen and travel round the planets with the Doctor," Barrowman tells his wide-eyed admirer with absolute conviction. What, says the father, did the little boy say he would do if he met Captain Jack? His son hesitates but Barrowman simply crouches down, opens out his arms to him and in a rush, the little boy wraps himself round him. "Oh, thank you," says Barrowman, "that's much better than fighting aliens." Captain Jack is such a hero that the boy even has a doll of him. "Ah," says Barrowman, "but you've seen the real guy now. That's me!"
It's not often in our society that gay men are allowed to be fantasy heroes to small boys. Captain Jack is a bisexual time traveller fighting to save the planet, and in real life Barrowman is gay too. He's in a 14-year relationship with Scott Gill, an architect. It's always a bit poignant watching gay men with kids, particularly when, like Barrowman, they have made no secret of the fact they would like to be a father. What appeals to him about fatherhood? "I don't know. I just think I would be a good dad. Scott and I have an incredible amount to offer a child. Gay men have two individual incomes and don't spend their money on anything but themselves, so we have money we could offer for a good education to help a child who didn't have anything, who grew up in an orphanage."
Would he be more interested, then, in helping an orphan than having a blood child? "I think it probably would interest me more but the side of me that is selfish would also like to have a blood child. If we were doing that we'd have one and adopt one. We also said we'd mix the sperm so we didn't know who was the father." He and Scott might prefer that – but would a child? Legislation now emphasises children's rights to know their origins. "Well, if they needed to, but I really think a child growing up in a loving home wouldn't care."
The home might be loving. The rest of the world isn't always. But Barrowman says the prospect of a child with two fathers being ostracised or bullied isn't a major concern. "You pack up and you move to a place where they don't," he says stoutly. Does such a place actually exist? But you'll always be picked on for something as a child, he argues. And he would give short shrift to the idea that, since a child is not the natural consequence of a same-sex relationship, homosexuals have no particular right to be parents. "These children are wanted. Think how much planning it actually takes. More planning than some people who just go out and get knocked up and have a baby."
So how would he and Scott plan it? Well, he did have a female friend who offered to be a surrogate some years ago. "I also have another friend now and she has said if I wanted to, she would."
Barrowman has an autobiography out in the next few weeks, written with his sister, a university professor in America. "You'll find out who this famous person is who would have the baby," he grins. (We'll also find out how a famous designer "tried it on in every way, shape and form".) His sister went everywhere with him for three months to write the book. "It was only sleep time and bathroom times she wasn't there – and even then she was sometimes shouting questions through the bathroom door."
He didn't find it hard being frank with his sister about his life and his sexuality? Not at all. And it gave her a new understanding of his life. "My sister said to me, 'I've now got a gay man living in my head.' I said, 'You should think yourself lucky, Carol. You'll probably dress more fabulously and have a bit more style!'"
AND THE QUESTION mark that had been forming? Perhaps it was to do with authenticity. Barrowman's voice is loud and declamatory and at first you feel as though you're in an audience (somewhere up in the gods). And there is something disconcerting about someone who switches from an American accent to a Scottish one, depending on who he is talking to, the way Barrowman does. At first, I just don't buy it. Rousseau wrote that accent "is the soul of talk; it gives it feeling and veracity" and most of us would instinctively agree. How many souls can a man have with any veracity?
But after a while, the question mark begins to fade. Barrowman is assertive and energetic and driven, and interviewing him feels a bit like violently shaking up a can of cola then opening it and letting the contents froth all over the place. But there's a kind of honesty and decency that emerges in the hubbub of his conversation. You start off wondering if he's a bit affected and end up deciding how genuine he is. "They are both real," he says when asked about his two accents. But which does he have to think about? "I don't have to think about either of them. That's the really strange thing and people don't understand it."
In Barrowman's case, I think the explanation is perhaps straightforward. It's not that he's trying to assume an identity; he's reluctant to lose one. "Maybe part of the reason I switch it on and off, and have the ability to do that, is because as a young person growing up I didn't want to lose my Scottish accent," he agrees. The two accents represent two parts of him. At the age of eight, his father's job prompted a move from Mount Vernon in Glasgow to the American Midwest. His elder brother had been accepted for the junior Rangers football team. His elder sister was set for university. So for them, the move was much more of a wrench. Barrowman was just excited.
Once there, he found himself teased about being Scottish so his shift to an American accent was pragmatic. Emotionally, he never forgot where he came from: the days of going to the record shop in Shettleston where his mum worked and singing on the counter after school; the hours spent in the high flats where his gran lived; vivid memories of the prefabricated housing of post-war Britain. In America, his life was "pretty much upper-middle class. A very comfortable atmosphere with big houses and nice cars, but we were always reminded that you get nothing for free. I was dragged out of bed every weekend to do the gardening. Hated it. When I went to university, my dad got a gardener. I said, 'Why are you getting a gardener?' He said, 'Because I can afford it.' And I said, 'Well. why didn't you get one when I was there?' And he said, 'Because we had you.'"
His mother was a fantastic singer. "She would have loved to do what I do but she grew up in the war and it was more important to have an Anderson shelter than go to a drama or music school." Barrowman inherited her musical talent. His late Aunt Dorothy used to phone him up and get him to sing down the phone to the girls in her office.
He has the super confidence of America, and the down-to-earth quality of Scotland. But ask him which facets of his personality he thinks have been shaped by each country and he says he's not sure, both societies foster an ambitious nature. His father, his uncle, his brother – all rose to senior positions in their jobs and he is aware of coming from a very close, very dynamic family. "Scottish people to me… I don't want to use the word 'aggressive' but they're go-getters. They're determined and they don't like to be told no. It's the same with Americans. Every time I come back to Scotland, there's always progressive change and that can only be from a society or culture that produces that kind of drive and ambition."
Barrowman studied at a university of performing arts but came to Britain on a visit in the late 1980s, auditioned for a role, and stayed. He quickly established himself as a leading West End man, with roles in Phantom, Chicago, Sunset Boulevard and Miss Saigon. He now has two homes in America, one in London, and one in Cardiff where Torchwood is filmed. But as an adult, he finds it easier to live in Britain and says he wouldn't go back to live full-time in the States. In Britain, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking America is one vast New York, but great swathes of it are dominated by social conservatism and fundamentalist Christianity. It can be hard to be gay there. "The British people are far more accepting of someone like me, whereas in America I feel they're going backwards with the human race. I find it terribly repressed and a lot of gay men pretend to be straight. It's only in specific cities that you get the openness."
He knew he was gay from an early age. There was no angst. "I remember it vividly. I woke up one morning when I was nine years old. I looked at a magazine and there was a man and a woman in it, and I looked at the man and got an erection. That's all I can remember. I was being taught by society around me that wasn't right." So didn't it frighten him to be consciously different at such a young age? "No. I don't know if it was because I had such a great family. I just thought, that's a bit different. I won't tell anybody. I had a great growing up with male and female friends. I dated girls because that's what everyone else did when I actually wanted to go to dances with my best mates. But I had been made fun of because of my accent as a child so I wasn't going to let that happen to me. I figured the best way to protect myself was just not to talk about it."
Did he deny it to himself? "No, I never denied it. Absolutely never denied it. I just had to do what I had to do until I went to university or college. I lived in a small town in the Midwest, but if you go to a bigger city people think differently and that's what I thought would happen." Perhaps not surprisingly, politically he rejects the right wing. "George Bush is a f***ing arsehole," he says, giving a little hint that the Glasgow boy is alive and well inside his American wrapping.
Barrowman and his parents were churchgoers – he retains a faith in God – but he refuses to accept fundamentalist views. "I just ignored what was being taught in the pulpit when I was going to church, that gay was bad. I just thought, 'I'm not going to listen to it, because I know I'm not a bad person.' I just always kept that in my head. I'm pretty generous. I'm pretty kind to people. I look after my family, my friends, and I will fight tooth and nail anyone who says I'm evil or bad. I believe I was made this way. If God can make so many different animals and so many different types of human being, with different skin colour and hair colour and eyes, why can't he make gay people?"
He gets letters from young men and women struggling with their sexuality and enjoys being a positive role model. But as far as Captain Jack is concerned, he doesn't really care about the character's bisexuality. "It's usually the press that make the issue about sexuality. The audience don't care," he says. Though he did get a letter from a mother in conservative North Carolina recently who said how lovely it was to watch an episode with her 14-year-old gay son and see a relationship between two men depicted that wasn't seedy or dirty.
Barrowman's own parents have always supported him. They have been married for more that 50 years and, actually, Barrowman has shown the same instinct for a steady relationship. He and Scott have a civil partnership. Coming out was not traumatic for him, but he understands it is for some people. "The thing that scares gay people, that makes them cry, is the possibility their family will shun them, that the people they love will say, 'We don't want anything to do with you any more.' And that's because society has given them a preconceived image of gay men which is that we're all effeminate or that we wear leather gear with your arse hanging out and you have sex in bad, dirty places. You don't do it like everybody else."
Barrowman is very direct in conversation. He fixes me with a look. "But I don't care who you are or what walk of life you're in. You probably do something that is slightly kinky in your bedroom. You just don't tell anybody." The eyebrows arch. "Am I right?" Mine arch back.
As he points out, homosexuality is often seen as promiscuous and seedy. So I wonder if Barrowman thinks the nature of homosexual love is any different to heterosexual love. "I go to bed with Scott every night and I probably have sex a little differently from a man and a woman, but I probably do the same kind of things a woman does to her husband, to be blunt. It's all very relevant and the same. Scott and I have had bumps in our relationship but I love him enough to look past those bumps to the greater picture. I think people give up too quickly on relationships. You know, it's not just about affairs. I'm talking about 'they get on my nerves because they leave the room messy all the time'. Well, pick it up. Sit them down and talk to them. Don't start getting aggressive. Scott and I do argue. It's healthy. But at the end of the night, one of us will always resolve it."
So what does love mean to him? "Companionship. Security – as in another person, I don't mean financial. Someone who will listen to you, respect you, do anything for you." But that doesn't come automatically. "You have to make an effort. My mum used to joke, 'You've got to do things to keep the spark alive.' And I said, 'Mother, I'm so glad to hear that! And I hope you and Dad keep the spark alive for a long, long time.'" He grins. "I've seen their wardrobe. I know what she's talking about. Let's just say dressing up occurs every so often. And you know what? That's what makes it work. That's why they've been together 53 years. That's what a relationship is about and it doesn't matter if you're two men, two women, or a man and a woman. It's actually very similar."
Never mind the Daleks, it's Barrowman who is taking over the universe. His success first came on the West End stage but television has made him a household name. It's not only Torchwood and Doctor Who. He pops up everywhere: on chat shows, discussion and political programmes, religious programmes, quiz programmes… In March he will even present a new children's series, The Kids Are All Right. He's been a judge on the BBC's reality shows Any Dream Will Do and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? and competed on ITV's Dancing on Ice. Has he pencilled his nervous breakdown into the schedule? No, he'll have a breakdown if he doesn't work.
Is such a wide array of projects a sign of insecurity? Does he fear if he turns things down he won't work? No, because he's booked up to 2009. But he does have insecurity. In the business they call you a triple threat if you can sing, dance and act. He thinks he's a great singer. (There's no false modesty with Barrowman.) And he thinks he can act. But dancing is his weak spot, which is partly why he made himself do Dancing on Ice. (Plus it was learning a skill, not just sitting in a celebrity house or eating witchetty grubs in the Australian jungle.)
In many ways Dancing on Ice was the show that revealed most about him. He was clearly ferociously competitive. Yes, he agrees, being voted off was awful. It's a long story but at the end of the day his technique was actually better than… He breaks off and grins. "Listen to me," he laughs. "People say to me, 'John, let it go…' Nah!"
He admits he's very driven. "I am not going to lie to you – I am very ambitious," he agrees. "But I think I am ambitious in a way that would never intentionally hurt or damage anybody. I know people who are ambitious and ruthless, and I am not ruthless. If I know something is going to hurt someone, I will do my damnedest to find a way of doing it that won't hurt them – or I just won't do it."
Barrowman is very professional and good at lots of things, though that perhaps gives him more versatilityas a performer than depth and subtlety. The strange thing is that everything about him seems very easy and charmed, as if he's never had to struggle in his life. (Even success was instant.) But if you've been gay – particularly in small-town America – chances are you have struggled, so it must be his attitude rather than his lot in life.
"I am like everybody else. I sometimes wake up in the morning and don't want to get out of bed. I sometimes get a bit depressed. I get upset. I have situations with family. But I am very happy. I can deal with all those things. That's life." A hero's life. "I get up every day and go to work and save the world. I kill aliens and protect the planet. Could you ask for anything more?"
The new series of Torchwood begins on January 16 on BBC2 at 9pm; Anything Goes: the Autobiography (£18.99 HB, £10.99 PB, Michael O'Mara Books) is published on January 24
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Has the Companion Search Begun?
Reports suggest that two actresses already involved in Series 4 have been shortlisted as potential future Doctor Who companions - and one of them is Georgia Moffet, daughter of Fifth Doctor Peter Davison.
The other is Felicity Jones, who has been cast in what is commonly termed "The Agatha Christie Episode", and she is best known for her parts in The Worst Witch and Cape Wrath, alongside her role as Emma Grundy in long-running radio soap The Archers.
Moffet's casting for a key part in the upcoming fourth season was announced in December, but the Daily Star claims that she may become a regular in the Tardis for the fifth season in 2010
However, according to the report she will have to fend off a challenge from 23-year-old actress Felicity Jones for the coveted companion role.
"Several names are in the frame," a source told the tabloid, "but Georgia and Felicity are currently on top of the shortlist - both have their merits."
The other is Felicity Jones, who has been cast in what is commonly termed "The Agatha Christie Episode", and she is best known for her parts in The Worst Witch and Cape Wrath, alongside her role as Emma Grundy in long-running radio soap The Archers.
Moffet's casting for a key part in the upcoming fourth season was announced in December, but the Daily Star claims that she may become a regular in the Tardis for the fifth season in 2010
However, according to the report she will have to fend off a challenge from 23-year-old actress Felicity Jones for the coveted companion role.
"Several names are in the frame," a source told the tabloid, "but Georgia and Felicity are currently on top of the shortlist - both have their merits."
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Sarah Lancashire to guest star in episode one
Sarah Lancashire, best known for roles in Coronation Street, Clocking Off and Rose & Maloney, is set to guest star in series four of the BAFTA award-winning Doctor Who, due to be seen on BBC One next year.
Sarah will guest star as Miss Foster, an enigmatic and powerful businesswoman, in episode one which reintroduces Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
Sarah Lancashire says: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be in Doctor Who. It's a brilliant episode and I'm looking forward to taking the Time Lord on."
Award-winning actress Catherine Tate is reprising her role as Donna, the runaway bride who featured in last year's Doctor Who Christmas special.
The start of the new series will see Donna tracking down The Doctor during an alien emergency in modern-day London.
The couple are destined to experience a series of wonderful adventures throughout the new series including meeting one of Doctor Who's most popular aliens, The Ood, in a brand new episode, Planet Of The Ood.
Donna and The Doctor will also be travelling through time for an encounter with the legendary murder mystery novelist, Agatha Christie, and taking a trip to Pompeii.
Guest stars in the new series include Felicity Kendal, Fenella Woolgar, Tim McInnerny, Peter Capaldi, Phil Davis and Tracey Childs.
Freema Agyeman who has played Martha Jones, The Doctor's companion throughout the critically-acclaimed third series, will return to the show to join The Doctor and Donna mid-series.
David Tennant will play The Doctor and Catherine Tate will play his new companion, Donna.
The fourth series of Doctor Who is now in production and will hit BBC One in Spring 2008.
The producer is Phil Collinson; Executive producers are Head of Drama, BBC Wales, Julie Gardner, and Russell T Davies.
Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff.
Sarah will guest star as Miss Foster, an enigmatic and powerful businesswoman, in episode one which reintroduces Catherine Tate as Donna Noble.
Sarah Lancashire says: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be in Doctor Who. It's a brilliant episode and I'm looking forward to taking the Time Lord on."
Award-winning actress Catherine Tate is reprising her role as Donna, the runaway bride who featured in last year's Doctor Who Christmas special.
The start of the new series will see Donna tracking down The Doctor during an alien emergency in modern-day London.
The couple are destined to experience a series of wonderful adventures throughout the new series including meeting one of Doctor Who's most popular aliens, The Ood, in a brand new episode, Planet Of The Ood.
Donna and The Doctor will also be travelling through time for an encounter with the legendary murder mystery novelist, Agatha Christie, and taking a trip to Pompeii.
Guest stars in the new series include Felicity Kendal, Fenella Woolgar, Tim McInnerny, Peter Capaldi, Phil Davis and Tracey Childs.
Freema Agyeman who has played Martha Jones, The Doctor's companion throughout the critically-acclaimed third series, will return to the show to join The Doctor and Donna mid-series.
David Tennant will play The Doctor and Catherine Tate will play his new companion, Donna.
The fourth series of Doctor Who is now in production and will hit BBC One in Spring 2008.
The producer is Phil Collinson; Executive producers are Head of Drama, BBC Wales, Julie Gardner, and Russell T Davies.
Doctor Who is filmed in Cardiff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
